A new track called "Semiramis Dream" by the artist 1010Benja has done something an AI-generated song rarely manages: it impressed a skeptic.
In a piece for The Verge titled "I hate that I don't hate this song made with Suno," the writer describes generally finding music made with generative AI to be, in their words, "offensively boring" — and singles out the outputs of Suno, a popular AI music generator, as a particular offender.
According to The Verge, the writer stops short of dismissing AI in music entirely, noting they are a fan of the experimental artist Holly Herndon, who works with the technology. But the 1010Benja song is framed as an uncomfortable exception to their low expectations for Suno.
The Verge also reports that 1010Benja won't apologize for using AI to make the track — a stance that sits at the center of an ongoing debate about whether tools like Suno belong in serious music-making, or merely flood the field with generic, machine-made filler.
The story matters because it captures a shifting moment for AI music: as tools like Suno move toward the mainstream, even critics predisposed to dislike the results are being forced to reckon with individual songs on their own terms, rather than rejecting the whole category outright.